Solve the Problem...So it STAYS Solved!

Joe Monaco

I have investigated forklift operator safety and productivity in particular contexts for 25+ years.

My original formal observations began with an unusual question posed to me by the Senior Vice President of Operations at L'Oreal, USA. He was a French national who was concerned about a serious forklift-related injury. He asked, "Can you help me solve this problem - so it stays solved?"

I was hooked! I found wisdom...in the question! This was NOT a typical senior executive ordering up a new version of the company song, or "sound bite," nor a public relations event to portend responsible corporate citizenship. He did NOT even mention "training" - a favorite corporate and regulatory response to problems- whether appropriate to the situation or not. I enlisted a small group of forklift operators and supervisors as we formed a task force that would carry the "stays solved" mission forward. We learned very quickly that there were many, many different influences on forklift operators that would "cause" some of them to get seriously injured and others to remain injury-free. The training we provided worked to meet the government regulatory standard but did little to solve the problem of ineffective supervision ("My job is to move the goods; Somebody else is in charge of safety around here"), confusing expectations (Am I supposed to chock the trailer wheel?"), neglected preventive maintenance ("The solid rubber tire has had multiple radial cracks.  It was squeaking for six weeks.") or defective workplace engineering ("Some racks are so close, I scrape paint off of them each time my truck turns to deposit a load"). 

So, 25 years later, I am pleased to report that we now know "how" to solve the problem of forklift-related serious injury -"so it stays solved."  What we are just beginning to learn is how to move the "will" of those who hold the resources and authority beyond minimal government regulatory compliance. To get the gains in safety and productivity for which the LIFTOR process is well-known at subscribing industrial sites, front-line managers need the will to change the "DNA" of how they value safe and productive forklift operating. Senge (1990) called it "systems thinking". The International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI) promotes "performance systems".

My purpose in writing Articles is to share the LIFTOR systematic approach, methods, and know how with those front-line operating managers who agree with a systems vantage point and have the will, resources, and authority to solve their problem...so it stays solved. We know this will already exists in the enlightened managers who have subscribed to the National LIFTOR Management & Training System for up to two decades or more. It is a joy to see the many warehouse and DC operations managers, instructors, test examiners, and operators who agree with the principles, practice, and voluntary standards of the National Lift Truck Operator Registry (LIFTOR). Their efforts have made a clear and substantive difference in both operator safety and productivity in their respective workplaces. Through their participation in the LIFTOR journey, we have influenced the USA national agenda on forklift safety at OSHA. Our process has won a rare mention of endorsement from the National Institutes for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) who called our hands-on approach "valid and efficient" (See U.S. D.O.L. Docket S-008: Powered Industrial Truck Operator Training: 1996). Through the ANSI/ITSDF "B56.1 Safety Standard for High Lift and Low Lift Trucks" I have had the pleasure of working with other sub-committee members who volunteer their time and resources to improve safety related to high lift and low lift trucks. As a result of all this background, experience, and empirical study, I have come to the following conclusions of which I am fairly certain: 1. It is the organizational "context" within which an operator works that makes the biggest difference between safe, productive performance, and serious injury or fatality. 2. Training (instruction), although required and expensive to do right, has over time, a relatively small influence when compared to "other" influences. 3. Managers who control the budget, also control the context. 4. The context is comprised of all the "influences" on operator behavior. Such influences can enable or disable safe and productive operator action. 5. Influences on operator behavior include: Forklifts and other equipment in a good state of repair. Aisles and travel paths with adequate turning space. Lighting Temperature Skill or Knowledge of job Air Quality/Hygiene Conflicting Work Rules Quality Supervision Congested work area Marked Pedestrian Walkways uneven/damaged travel surface etc. 6. For the contextual influences to have an enduring impact, supervisors must continuously provide operators with:

A. Clear expectations.

B. Adequate resources to perform successfully, and

C. Feedback (about how well or poorly expectations are being met)

7. For each site where LIFTOR exists, a front-line manager who has an interest in the above influences and practices will help to sustain them over the long term. Finally, if you can put the above influences and practices into play at your warehouse or DC, You can solve the problem of serious forklift injury‚ so it stays solved. Best wishes, Joe